Gale Norton on Energy & Oil

Secretary of Interior (Pres. Bush Cabinet)

Balance energy needs with environmental protection

The issue of Americans being so dependent on foreign oil is a great cause for concern. We will have to pull together all of our resources to find ways of addressing those issues. We’ll have to do a lot of planning to be able to find long-term answers.
We would hope to work with you to find the right kinds of solutions that would balance environmental protection, as well as finding ways of providing the kind of energy resources that need to be available.

Source: Confirmation Hearings, U.S. Senate
, Jan 19, 2001

Will expedite natural gas exploitation in Alaska

Q. In the search for oil in Prudhoe Bay, we found 36 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Will you provide all the resources needed to the Joint Pipeline Office in Alaska to help expedite this project?

A. I’m aware of the need for natural gas not just
because our economy is expanding and there’s more demand for energy, but also because natural gas is seen as one of the ways of having the cleanest supply of energy. It’s important for us to have some mechanisms to be able to draw upon gas resources.

Source: Confirmation Hearings, U.S. Senate
, Jan 19, 2001

Have open mind on global warming; there’s no consensus

Q: You have written that there is little consensus over whether global warming is occurring.

A: I will maintain an open mind and receive new scientific information as it is put forward. There is still disagreement as
to the causes and the long- term future. And obviously, there is disagreement about what ought to be done in that regard. I will certainly rely on scientific information as it becomes available.

Source: Confirmation Hearings, U.S. Senate
, Jan 19, 2001

Member of Bush’s National Energy Policy Development Group.

Norton is a member of Bush’s National Energy Policy Development Group:

The National Energy Policy Development (NEPD) Group was directed by President Bush to “develop a national energy policy designed to… promote dependable, affordable, and environmentally sound production and distribution of energy for the future.”The National Energy Policy we propose follows three basic principles:

The Policy is a long-term, comprehensive strategy. Our energy crisis has been years in the making, and will take years to put fully behind us.

Accelerate the protection and improvement of the environment: We do not accept the false choice between environmental protection and energy production. An integrated approach to policy can yield a cleaner environment, a stronger economy, and a sufficient supply of energy for our future.

Increase our nation ’s energy security: We must prepare our nation for supply emergencies, and assist low-income Americans who are most vulnerable in times of supply disruption.

Tax credits & more funding for renewable energy research.

The National Energy Policy builds on our nation’s successful track record and will promote further improvements in the productive and efficient use of energy. This report includes recommendations to:

Direct federal agencies to take appropriate actions to responsibly conserve energy use at their facilities, especially during periods of peak demand in regions where electricity shortages are possible, and to report to the President on actions taken.

Increase funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development programs that are performance-based and cost-shared.

Create an income tax credit for the purchase of hybrid and fuel cell vehicles to promote fuel-efficient vehicles.

Extend the Department of Energy’s “Energy Star ” efficiency program to include schools, retail buildings, health care facilities, and homes and extend the “Energy Star ” labeling program to additional products and appliances.

Provide a tax incentive and streamline permitting to accelerate the development of clean Combined Heat and Power technology.

Direct the Secretary of Transportation to review and provide recommendations on establishing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE)standards with due consideration to the National Academy of Sciences study of CAFE standards to be released in July, 2001.

Open small fraction of ANWR for regulated production .

Norton adopted the National Energy Policy Development Group report:

Our policy will increase and diversify our nation’s sources of traditional and alternative fuels in order to furnish families and businesses with reliable and affordable energy, to enhance national security, and to improve the environment. This report includes recommendations to:

Issue an Executive Order directing all federal agencies to include in any regulatory action that could significantly and adversely affect energy supplies a detailed statement on the energy impact of the proposed action.

Open a small fraction of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to environmentally regulated exploration and production using leading-edge technology. Examine the potential for the regulated increase in oil and natural gas development on other federal lands.

Earmark $1. 2 billion of bid bonuses from the environmentally responsible leasing of ANWR to fund research into alternative and renewable energy resources – including wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal.

Enact legislation to expand existing alternative fuels tax incentives to include landfills that capture methane gas emissions for electricity generation and to electricity produced from wind and biomass. Extend the number of eligible biomass sources to include forest-related sources, agricultural sources, and certain urban sources.

Provide $2 billion over 10 years to fund clean coal technology research and a new credit for electricity produced from biomass co-fired with coal.

Direct federal agencies to streamline the hydropower relicensing process with proper regard given to environmental factors.

Provide for the safe expansion of nuclear energy by establishing a national repository for nuclear waste, and by streamlining the licensing of nuclear power plants.

Long-term energy stability avoids high-polluting emergencies.

Norton adopted the National Energy Policy Development Group report:

We are all aware of past excesses in our use of the natural world and its resources. No one wishes to see them repeated. In the 21st century, the ethic of good stewardship is well established in American life and law. We do not accept the false choice between environmental protection and energy production. America is using more, and polluting less. The primary reason for that has been steady advances in the technology of locating, producing, and using energy.

One of the factors harming the environment today is the very lack of a comprehensive, long-term national energy policy. States confronting blackouts must take desperate measures, often at the expense of environmental standards, requesting waivers of environmental rules, and delaying the implementation of anti-pollution efforts. Shortfalls in electricity generating capacity and shortsighted policies have blocked construction of new, cleaner plants, leaving no choice but to rely on older, inefficient plants to meet demand.
The increased use of emergency power sources, such as diesel generators, results in greater air pollution.

The National Energy Policy will build upon our nation ’s successful track record and will promote further improvements in the productive and efficient use of energy. This report includes recommendations to:

Enact “multi-pollutant” legislation to establish a flexible, market-based program to significantly reduce and cap emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury from electric power generators.